Sports and Community on Campus: Constructing a Sports Experience That Matters

Student affairs personnel are often charged with the task of creating a sense of community on campuses. Sports is among the many activities that historically have been used to meet this need for community among students. Yet, how and when a sense of community is created within a sports context has not been appropriately addressed in literature. Utilizing a community psychology theoretical framework for this study, we employed a qualitative approach to uncover the necessary factors for creating a sense of community within a sports club setting. The results revealed that Common Interest, Leadership Opportunities, Voluntary Activity, and Competition were the most critical components to creating a sense of community. The results advance community building theory and suggest practical application for improving the student experience. The implications for sports managers and student affairs administrators are also discussed

Connecting It All: Creating Community in Sport and Entertainment

There is a growing concern that many individuals are no longer living in and experiencing community like previous generations. Today for many Americans, it is common for someone to have thousands of online Facebook friends without knowing his or her neighbors’ names. Despite the technological advances in communication, individuals receive less social support than in the past and are becoming less connected as a result of these shifting societal trends. Overall, individuals are reporting that they have fewer confidants and people they discuss important matters with (McPherson, Smith-Lovin, & Brashears, 2006; Putnam, 2001). Even within families, traditional American family dynamics are also changing as fewer individuals are raised in two-parent households. This is important because social relationships and connectedness are linked to health and overall well-being (Berkman, Glass, Brissette, & Seeman, 2000; Olds & Schwartz, 2010). Experiencing a strong sense of community is fundamental to one’s overall life quality, well-being, and health, which makes the shift away from living in and experiencing community concerning, as people do not have a lessened need for belonging to communities. Thus, if we can find better ways for more individuals to feel strong social support at the group level, then it is possible to improve overall life quality and ensure that this growing need for community is met. Yet it is not only individuals that are well served by communities. Because of this inherent need to feel a sense of belonging to communities, organizations can take advantage of this need by offering the opportunity to their consumers and/or stakeholders to become a part of their community. Doing so would increase the engagement of their stakeholders, and consequently, the commitment to the organization

Becoming a “Real University: ” The Strategic Benefits of Adding Football for NCAA Division I Institutions

In the midst of an economic crisis leading to extensive cuts in college athletics, at least 38 colleges in the past five years have either added or have plans to add football to their athletic programs. Of particular interest are schools that have traditionally been known as “commuter universities.” In response to increased competition from other colleges, many of these schools are adding football as a part of a larger strategic vision for creating a “better college product.” Using resource-based (Barney, 1991) and institutional theories (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983), this study seeks to understand the strategic arguments used and the benefits sought by universities adding football on their campuses. This study employs qualitative content analysis methodology (Marshall & Rossman, 2006; Miles & Huberman, 1994) using publically available football feasibility studies from six NCAA Division I universities that have added (or have advertised plans to add) football over the past five years. Results indicate that football is seen as a vehicle for creating a sense of community and enhancing the institutional value of universities. Results also show that the dominant strategic rationale for adding these football programs is more consistent with institutional than resource-based theory. Implications of such strategy include an overemphasis on sport, and a corresponding lack of attention paid to other more innovative solutions to broader campus issues

Employee Satisfaction in Sport: Development of a Multi-Dimensional Model in Coaching

Despite the overwhelming emphasis on job satisfaction in sport management research, scholars continue to advocate for the distinctiveness and importance of evaluating both job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The purpose of this investigation is to develop a model of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction for intercollegiate coaches. Fifteen head coaches participated in semistructured interviews. Results revealed a sport industry speci!c three-factor model. Desirable job factors (Player-Coach Relationships, Recognition, and Social Status) were related only to satisfaction. Industry Standard Factors (Sport Policy, Salary, Recruiting, Supervision, and Life Balance) were related only to dissatisfaction. Performance Dependent Factors (Flexibility and Control, Program Building, and Relationships with Colleagues) were related to satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The results support the distinctiveness of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction as constructs, and also demonstrate a continued need for examining job attitudes within context. As sport managers understand the particular expectations of their employees and their industry they can better diagnose and solve employee issues

Youth Sport Ministry: Looking Beyond the Court

Every year millions of children participate in church-sponsored sport leagues throughout the U.S. and Canada. In fact, the Upward sport program reports that over a half of million 5-12 year-olds compete annually in their sport leagues alone. Pastors, staff, and volunteers shoulder the task of creating and implementing a Christian-based youth sport experience that is both fun and meaningful for children. While youth sport participants in these programs typically walk away with both enhanced sport skills and a better understanding of the teachings and principles of Jesus, what is often overlooked is that youth sport serves more than the just the children

College Student Development within the Context of Formalized Sport in American Higher Education

Those providing and managing sport in primary, secondary and post-secondary educational settings must be cognizant of the need for sport programs to enhance, rather than detract from, the educational environment. American post-secondary education provides an important context for inquiry in sport for two primary reasons. First, college enrollment marks a significant period of transition for individuals who are at a developmentally impressionable stage of their lives. Second, roughly 80% of all college students participate in some form of physical activity during their time on a college or university campus, with roughly half of them participating in formal sport. Two bodies of literature provide guidance for sport managers in US higher education: 1) sport development theory and 2) student development theory. This paper aims to provide a road map to facilitate the conversation between these two bodies of theory to unpack the potential contribution of sport to the individual development of sport participants at American colleges and universities. &nbsp

More Than Just Letting Them Play: Parental Influence on Women's Lifetime Sport Involvement

This qualitative study uses expectancy-value and life course theories (Giele & Elder, 1998) to examine both the proximal and distal impact of early family socialization on enduring female participation in sport. Seventeen National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I female head coaches from the U.S. participated in interviews regarding parental in!uence on their sport involvement. Participants revealed three general mechanisms of sport socialization: a) role modeling, b) providing experience, and c) interpreting experience. Parental in!uence impacted their enduring involvement in sport by normalizing the sport experience, particularly in terms of gender, and by allowing them a voice in their own participation decisions. Insights regarding the roles of both parents and the interactive and contextual nature of socialization for increasing female participation are discussed

Sport and Family Functioning: Strengthening Elite Sport Families

Families play an important role in society, both in human sustenance and individual development.  Family systems theory views the family as a series of interconnected parts that when functioning properly, provide individual members with multiple benefits. Interaction with external systems, such as sport, school or church, can have positive and negative impacts on the family. It is unclear, however, what elements of sport relate to specific outcomes.  The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between elite youth sport participation and family units, and how these two spheres, individually and in combination, impact family functioning.  In-depth, purposeful interviews with seven “sport families” revealed that in addition to the depletion of resources (financial and time), elite sport engagement strongly detracts from the marital dyad and family unit receiving sufficient time and attention for proper functioning.  The results also offer insight into how the leagues can be better managed such that they positively contribute to family functioning.  Specifically, the results indicate that leagues can aid in strengthening family functioning through allowing families to have coaching input, and providing greater attention to scheduling, league expectations, and instrumental support

Hidden Consequences: Examining the Impact of NIL on Athlete Well-Being

With the NCAA\u27s NIL policy changes, many athletes will likely need to solve the issue of brand management, with many of them assuming the role themselves. Taking on this role will likely lead to even more investment in their athlete identity (i.e., role engulfment), which has negative consequences for the athlete (Hatteberg, 2020). Guided by the literature on role engulfment, this article investigates the hidden effects NIL may have on collegiate athletes and their well-being, along with various branding and legal implications

Front Porch, Small House: A Longitudinal Study of Team and University Identification Among Incoming Students at a Division III University

In this longitudinal study, the authors examined the relationship between team identification and university identification for 37 incoming college first year students at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III institution. After collecting four waves of data from the same participants over the course of two years, the authors utilized growth curve analysis to examine the development and trajectories of the students’ levels of identification with both the university and the intercollegiate sport teams. Furthermore, the authors empirically measured if identifying with the athletic teams on campus explained any variance in one’s identification with the larger university. Finally, this study was explicitly conducted within the context of a Division III institution to increase understanding of the social value of Division III athletics for students not directly participating as student-athletes. The presented findings provide a longitudinal account of the psychological and social value of Division III sport teams in terms of building a stronger connection between new students and the larger university